Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday alleged that the Cauvery water dispute would not have become such a major issue had the DMK, which was part of the Union government for 15 years, found a solution to it.
“If the DMK had made use of the two months’ period in 2007 after the [tribunal] award was made, neither Karnataka or Kerala nor Puducherry would have gone to the court,” he said while responding to Opposition leader M.K. Stalin, who alleged that the AIADMK government failed to bring pressure to bear on the Centre to appoint a Chairman for the Cauvery Water Management Authority.
DMK deputy leader Durai Murugan said that as per section 5(3) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, the matter should be sent to the tribunal for further consideration within three months. The Chief Minister said nothing would happen even if Mr. Durai Murgan raised his voice to make the point.
“How many times you had visited Delhi to get portfolios? Why did you fail to get justice in the Cauvery water dispute? The late Vazhapadi K. Ramamurthy resigned from his ministerial post to express his protest over the Cauvery water dispute. You cannot suppress facts through your arguments,” he said. When the Chief Minister told the House that DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran had supported the Salem-Chennai Corridor, Mr. Stalin said the DMK was not against the project, but farmers' opinion should be taken into account.